Family Tree Connections by Janet

07/11/2026

WINNER GETS A $25 STARBUCKS GIFT CARD! How many times will you see me over the next week. Whoever sees me the most gets the gift card. End date extended to next Sunday (7/12).

Honk and wave (I must see you), or send a photo you snapped or a text me about Day, Time, and Where you saw me out and about.

If text with no photo, must include cross roads where (ie Dunlawton and Lafayette; Reed Canal and Sauls). Photos in my driveway or yard don't count - but good try! PLEASE drive responsibly. Use your Talk to Text or send message/photo when you arrive at your destination.

The reason for this challenge is to introduce you to my new ride - her name is MYSTIQUE! (Yes, I named her after an X-Men's character).

Family Tree Connections by Janet offers genealogy and reunion support services. Let me help you with your family tree road blocks, a family reunion, or a memorial tribute. [email protected].

07/06/2026

I wanted to share something about Ancestry.com that I learned the hard way — something I truly wish I had known from the very beginning.

I started using Ancestry in 2009 and subscribed continuously until 2021. Even after I cut back, I still had my tree with about 7,000 people on it. I could still log in and add my own photos, news clippings, birth and death information — all the personal items I had uploaded myself.

But here’s what I didn’t know, even after thirteen years of paying for a subscription:
All of the records I had confirmed and attached to my tree — censuses, yearbooks, death certificates, directories, everything that came from my Ancestry.com searches were no longer accessible to me once my subscription ended. I had attached hundreds and hundreds of records to individual profiles, but without an active subscription, I cannot open or view any of them. I remember thinking, Really? After all that work?

So here’s my recommendation:
Download every important record you want to keep, and then upload those files directly to the appropriate people in your tree. Yes, it takes more time and effort. But it ensures you always have access to your research, and it also allows other researchers to save your documents to their own trees — unless you choose to make your tree private.

As for me, I will always share my findings with my fellow “tree people.” But now I make sure I have my own copies of everything I consider vital.

06/22/2026

Happy Fathers Day to all here on earth and in the heavens. Great Dad’s in this photo! If we could turn back time…❤️

06/21/2026

06/21/2026